The pope confirmed this Monday that he has sent “lists of prisoners” to Russia to secure their release, making it clear that if he travels to the region he will visit both Moscow and Kiev, “both, not just one place”. the pope said Europe Press.
“When I received lists of prisoners, both civilian and military, I sent them to the Russian government, and the response was always very positive,” Pope Francis revealed in an interview published Monday by the North American Jesuit newspaper America.
Francis, who has been criticized in the past for an alleged ambiguity in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine for not mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that when he talks about Ukraine, he talks about “a tortured people, a tortured people”.
“When there is a tortured people, there is someone who tortures them. When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about cruelty, because I have a lot of information about the troops arriving,” be the head of the Catholic Church.
“Certainly the invader is the Russian state. That is very clear. Sometimes I try not to specify so as not to offend and condemn in general terms, even if it is clear who I am condemning. It is not necessary to enter your first and last name. Why didn’t I nominate Putin? Since it was not necessary, it was already known. Everyone knows my position, with Putin and without Putin, without naming him,” the pope added.
Francis recalled going to the Russian embassy on the second day of the invasion, in an unusual gesture for a pope, and claimed that at the time he told the ambassador to tell Putin that he was willing to travel, provided that he left him a “small window to negotiate”. .
In the interview, he explained that he had spoken on the phone three times with Ukrainian President, Volodymir Zelensky and that he had made the decision that if he travels he would go to Moscow and Kiev, denying ever having the impression to have awakened “to hide”. the aggression”, adding that representatives of the Ukrainian government were received on several occasions.
However, he reiterated that “the attitude of the Holy See is to seek peace and seek understanding” and that “the diplomacy of the Holy See is moving in that direction and is, of course, always available for mediation”.
The pope also referred to internal issues of the Catholic Church, such as the opening of the priesthood to women, saying that this is a “theological issue”, that an opening to women is not foreseen, but that it cannot be seen as a “hardship”.
“Women’s theology has not yet been developed, there is only the possibility of an administrative principle,” the pope emphasized the role of women.
“Women are mothers and see the mystery of the Church better than men. That’s why a woman’s advice is so important. And a woman’s decision is better. When a woman goes into politics or management, she usually does very well And it’s women, there are many economists who are renewing the economy in a constructive sense,” he said.
When asked about racism within the American Catholic Church, the Pope classified it as an “unbearable sin”, as well as the sexual abuse of minors, which he considered “monstrous”.
Source: DN
